Why me?
by Emilia Dutra Pinto
Summary: What if Spike returned from the ashes into NX01 Enterprise intead of Angel's show? New Act 4. R&R!
1. Teaser Act 1

**Episode: ****Why me?******

**Post: 3x03**

**(Teaser)**

"Captain we are detecting a very strange object 10000 km from here" TPol wearing his new red cat suit alerted the captain.

"So?" Archer asked "What is so special about that?" The NX01 Enterprise was in an all-stopped state, Trip was installing the magnetic protection needed to fly trough the expanse without any issue regarding any breaking the law of physics or damaging electronically the computer systems.

"It is a box, sir" TPol answered rawly.

A minute went by, both remained in silence, Hoshi glanced at Archer do not understanding as well why the female Vulcan was interested in a box floating in deep space.

Archer tried again, now speaking in a joking tone "What the science officer recommend doing?"

"We should study it... sir" She didn't like the way Archer was mocking her "Permission to transport it into the ship?"

"Don't you think that would bring any danger to the crewmen?" Archer insisted.

"I will take the necessary precautions handling the object."

"Ok, just tell me why you want the box." Archer turned his chair to face her response.

"Captain, the main database computer is offline. The paperback books we have had its words scrambled when we hit the last singularity. I meditated too much. Then as I science officer I am kind of ... bored, let me study that (damn) thing."

"Boredom, isn't it a felling?" Archer smiled, as a human, he always loved spiking the Vulcan's weak point.

"No, sir, it is a state of mind" She answered appearing to be serene outside, but feeling upset like a bitch.

"Ok, Mr. Mayweather, move us closer enough to get this box into our transporter range, full impulse power." Archer turned to the main screen, he was also bored, about a week stopped doing nothing, letting TPol get the box would give him at least a subject to mock her for a while.

The communicator whistled, it was Trip, _"Captain, why are you turning on the impulse power, I told you to let it off, there was two man working over the impulse single reactor, one of them got his hand burnt, the engineering is smelling barbecue now"_

Archer glanced at Hoshi that was smiling ironically, "Ok Trip, I will ask personally a priority treatment from Phlox in this case" And gestured to Hoshi to cut the transmission.

**(End of a regular Enterprise Senseless/Actionless Teaser)**

**Star Trek Enterprise Main Titles**

**(Act 1)**

Two hours later all the main officers were standing in the new improvised battle room: Archer, TPol, Trip, Malcolm, Hoshi and Phlox. Over the center table a black box was displayed. 

"The censor detected something inside" TPol informed.

"I think the reason to create a box is put something inside" Trip murmured at Malcolm's ear that put his hand over his mouth to hide his laugh.

"I heard that, Mr. Tucker" TPol said "Anyway it was a logic answer"

"Damn ultra sensitive Vulcan ear" Trip cursed lowly.

"I heard that as well, Mr. Tucker"

Now Trip just expressed an unhappy face.

"You may continue" Archer asked.

"Please! I am curious" Phlox added. "But why you didn't scanned your item at the decon chamber?"

"It seemed unnecessary." TPol affirmed promptly.

"Why---" Phlox got interrupted.

"There is no lock, we will have to crack it open" TPol described her very technologic opening procedure, induce moped faces in everybody.

TPol held it, which was all black 15x15x15 centimeters box, and threw it on the bulkhead, transforming it in peaces. Transforming as well the moped faces into alarmed faces.

"She is nuts" Trip cursed lowly again.

She heard but ignored it, she ducked to find out what was inside, searching among the pieces she found the content, she stood up turning back to the other officers holding a talisman.

"Well, this is beautiful, can I keep it, as a souvenir from the expanse, if we survive and get back someday." Hoshi asked. Archer displayed an OK look.

Then the talisman started to glow a high light and heat making TPol drop it on the floor.

Light turned into dust, dust turn into bones, from the bones flesh appeared, then clothes, in the end a complete man was standing in the center of the room screaming in pain.

"Fascinating" TPol exclaimed.

He was feeling cold and pain, he hugged himself to produce heat, he was dizzy "Bugger that"

Phlox drawn his medical tricorder "Unusual readings Captain"

"He seems human" Hoshi added and tried to contact him "Stay calm, we are friends, at least friendly."

"You are onboard of the USS Enterprise, I'm the Captain Jonathan ..." Archer got interrupted by the man.

"I know you Archer, I know you all people, is this hell?" the man said impressing everybody.

"Who are you?" Archer asked

"I'm Spike" the man, pale, blond dyed hair, wearing black jeans, black T-shirt and a black long coat.

"How do you know us?" Archer tapped his belt finding that his phaser was not there.

Spike turned himself into his vampire face and jumped to attack Archer. Eventually he went trough Archer and the rest of the people that were terrified going off the room crossing the bulkhead, totally untouchable like a ghost.

"This was very odd" Malcolm completed, he was strangely shaking.

"This was a very interesting box TPol" Phlox said. "Can you explain that?"

Hoshi ducked and get the amulet. "You brought vampire ghost to the ship, you saw him very well too, can you also explain ghosts and vampires?"

"It was a kind of group hallucination"

"I just hope that would not turn into a ghost in the machine because I have to fix that engines now" Trip went out the room, the rest of the crew followed him, letting only TPol and Archer on the room.

"Sub commander, I want a report on my table by night!"

"Captain you know the database and the logs are offline"

"You can do it handmade or typewritten, you choose"

Spike slipped though walls and felt into open space, the inertia made him float without stopping, he could sigh the starship getting more far every second. "Damn, now I'm doomed into space"

Hoshi entered her room, admired her new necklace talisman smiling "Is there another ghost inside?" She got another pack of clean uniform and headed to the showers. Involuntary she put the talisman back in her pocket. She walked on the hallway and entered in the girls' collective dressing and shower room. She was alone there, after some minutes under the water she felt a lightning effect in the room, she turned off the shower and wrapped herself in the tower in order to check what have happened.

"Hey Hoshi" A voice called her from behind.

"Ahhh" She got scared, it was Spike, he was back.

"What are you doing here?"

"I was floating into space then poof! I was back here. Hey be cool, I didn't peeked on you there inside" He was a little embarrassed.

"How do you know me? How do you know all of us?"

"It is a long story pet, but yes, I know you all, I will tell you what I know soon." He was disconsolate. "What am I doing here may be a best story to be told, how exactly do you get me here?"

"You came from this amulet," she showed him almost dropping her tower. "Oops... Hmmm... It was abandoned in the space, inside a black box that TPol rescued."

"That should be the reason why I returned to here, if I get a too distant from the amulet, its power attracts me back to it, like I'm connected to it. But now, why I became a bloody ghost?"

"Let me dress myself, we can go to Phlox to check out your condition."

"Well thanks, I will be at the hallway, I will wait you there." He pushed his hand into the bulkhead proving himself that he could pass through it, then he did it.

On the upper deck that I don't know exactly with letter is determined to it, Bruce Watson, member of that military SWAT crew assigned to help with the Expanse mission, waited in the hallway for the turbolift, then the elevator came in about a minute, he calmly entered into, the door closed, he pushed the button and nothing happened, then he heard an unusual sound, that remembered him an electronic noise like when the old television produce when the signal is off.

Suddenly he noticed that the turbolift floor started to fade out, turning gradually invisible and un-tread-able "Help! Someone!" He yelled very loud, he tried to hold the buttons console to keep himself out of falling, but the console was too thin to hold with his fingers and sustain his weight, then he tried to get in the horizontal position, putting his feet in side of the wall and his hands in the opposite side, but he couldn't get it, he slid and passed trough the floor that was already gone. "Ahhh!! Help!"

"What is that?" Spike said, he and Hoshi were waiting the turbolift a couple of floors under, and they heard the screaming followed by a huge bump sound. "Gosh! I think it was here inside."

Hoshi ran to the closer intercom "Hoshi to sickbay, Hoshi to security, a man is probably stuck in the turbolift 4's pit." When she looked back Spike was with his untouchable head into the elevator's door.

"You should have called the morgue." He said after returning his head.

**(End of Act 1)**


	2. Act 2

_[OOC: Thanks a lot for the reviews, English is my second language, and I'm trying hard, I always check the spell it on MS word and I am always revising.]_

_[OOC Expanse (for who doesn't know about): Expanse is a place in the space where was forbidden, by Klingons and Vulcans, because the laws of physics doesn't apply right there, until you install a system, that is why the __Enterprise__ is stopped, Trip is implementing this system.]_

**Why Me?**

**(Act 2)**

"He's dead, Captain." Phlox encountered "He fell just some meters, but he landed over his head, shattered his neck bone like a nutshell." he chuckled ironically "Poor guy." and pushed the sheet covering the face of the cadaver. Unpleasant looks from Archer, Hoshi and Trip watched the dead body entering into the pathologic compartment.

Archer turned to Trip, "Just how could he fall into the pit? Aren't there many safety gizmos to protect the crew?" The Captain was pissed off, he could not admit that he lost a soldier, at least if he have died in combat.

"The answer for the first question is: I don't know." Trip paused to think "For the second is: not at all" he was displaying doubt and then completed "Sir!"

"Which is what?" Archer completely confused and mad asked.

"Which is what, what?" The mess was done, Hoshi didn't know any of the answers but was having fun with the lack of good communication.

"About your answers commander!" Archer was almost yelling, wrinkles in her forehead were getting deeper.

"Wow, sure, I don't know how he fell into and there are not so much safety *gizmos* anymore over the ship, but at turbolift it were operant, I think." He felt threatened and insecure, the recent and urgent modifications that have being made in the ship were too unware from his total control.

"How?" Archer was monosyllabic.

"Well sir, because its weight, 70% percent of security components were replaced by food, weapons and power for the deflectors in order to keep us safer from outside, here at the expanse."

"But...?"

"The elevators were completely fine, so fine that I am going there now to investigate what happened!" He kind of executed a military salutation and left the room, a minute later Trip came back "Sir!?"

Archer was with his hand in his forehead, pressing an overcoming headache "Yes Trip?"

"If I am going to be there investigating, how should I finish the repairs and implementations?" Trip asked, this time the captain could not discern if the chief engineer was teasing him, was completely lost or was proving himself a real dumb.

"Do both! Now!" Archer yelled pointing the exit with his finger. Trip ran like a kid getting away from paternal belt spanking. Archer and Trip were not totally fine the way they used to be, since that incident with the third gender alien cogenitor, they were producing sparks doing any small confrontation.

Having nothing more to do at the sickbay, the Captain just sighed deeply and left, Hoshi tried to pacify the situation with a disconcerted smile.

Phlox resumed his work, if we can call his business as regular work, like studding, he usually spent a quarter of his day feeding his unusual fauna and flora, at least he sleeps just a few minutes by day, making the rest of his wake-and-working time bigger. He got so deep into his practices that he only noticed that Hoshi was still in the room about five minutes later. "Hey, ensign you still here, do you need something?"

"If I ask you to keep a secret, and then try to help me, would you do...?" She was kind of embarrassed.

"Tell me please, you know that I'm very curious and I hate surprises, Ok, Ok, abuse from my patient-psychological secret deal." He was very anxious, more than usual, was the Expanse overreacting on him? Whatever.

"Hey doctor, I will ask you to treat someone, you know, off records..."

"Are you collecting and training alien slugs like domestic pets again, ensign?" He expressed an upset-surprised look, an expression that just a (crazy) Denobulan could do.

"No, no, by the way you will have to identify what he is exactly, before start treating him..."

He repeated his expression, now just adding a perplex emotion.

"I'm no bloody slug! Besides the fact that she is giving me needed attention." Spike got out smiling from the back side of the sickbay "Interesting pets you have here, doc!"

"Him?" the Denobulan got totally mazy, Hoshi just manifested a what-should-I-do face, doctor continued "How? When?"

Like all human space vessels in history, even the first one, our NX01 have the Earth-lee environment, producing adequate light shades over the decks simulating the daylight and nighttime. It was already 9 PM in the Enterprise, synchronized with San Francisco time, Commander Tucker approached TPol's quarters door and pressed the doorbell.

_"Come in."_

He entered and got surprised "God, TPol! Why are you wearing smaller pieces of pajamas everyday?" Trip mixed embarrassment and the wish to check out her body, he stood near the door avoiding direct eye contact with her.

"Since you haven't corrected yet all the systems of the ship, this environment is slightly hotter, so--" She excused calmly, he was in the lotus position, preparing to meditate (again).

"Hey this is not right, I'm not so dumb, and Vulcan home world is damn hotter than this!" Trip was still nervous after the tough discussion with Archer.

"Commander, you obviously haven't seen me in the way I used to sleep at Vulcan." It was too ironic, that she would be smiling at his face, if she wasn't Vulcan.

Her Comment produced images of her *sleeping* in his mind, He shook his head and tried to concentrate in his problems. "I came here to ask you to help me."

"Do you need one more session of my relaxant massages?" She looked directly into his eyes.

"No! Well! YES! But not exactly right now." Since Trip lost his sister in the Xindi attack that was the main reason that lead the Enterprise into the Expanse, he was having insomnia, all the drugs Phlox administrated didn't work, so the alien doctor appealed to TPol techniques of ancient Vulcan Massage for Trip's treatment. He result of the massages were a success, but was needed some time into TPol's room, it let him a little embarrassed, because it sometimes got nearly erotic, to him was very uneasy to deal with it out of a real erotic situation added by the fact she was Vulcan, he will never know what she is thinking deep inside.

"You seem very nervous, Commander." She said, still in the same position.

"Hell I am, there was a death, maybe caused by a malfunction of safety systems, I have already to fix that damn other system this week..."

"Right, I will help checking the safety system. Where should I look?" She stood up.

"Turbolift 4! Don't you get worried about one more death in the ship..." He was opening his heart when she turned his back to him and started to get unclothed. "God!!! I'm out!" He quickly got out of her room. During his time into TPol's room he didn't noticed that she was reading a book called VMYERPAS. This book used to be VAMPYRES, but after one attack from singularities from the Expanse messed up with the order of the letters of the all paper books, but TPol already created a mental algorithm to decipher it. 

Forgetting her own logic last explanation about Spike, that he was nothing more than a group hallucination, TPol had now to study about Earth cult myths: ghosts and vampires.

"I qualify you as a freak." Phlox found out "You are almost totally non corporeal, well you can sit, lay your back and walk. But you can touch anything. I have no idea what we should do to you. What do you want to be done?" He scanned the vamp-ghost with every diagnostic mumbo-jumbo he could use.

"Well, I can not expect anything, I should be here for a reason or it is just my personal hell, so you all will have to get used to me, haunting you every day." He was sat in one the tables.

"I also didn't find anything unusual about your amulet." Phlox was challenged, he almost handled perfectly every case that came to him. Even miraculously saving himself from that (borg) electronic-virus that he caught.

"It is obviously a mystical amulet, Doc!" He jumped to the floor shaking his head and putting his hands into his pockets "Your pretty tweaks will not bring me back."

"So do you want something, you want to go back?" Hoshi inquired, getting closer of him "But you haven't told us from where you came, not exactly who you are..."

"Off course, I want to go back, back to her...(The slayer)" a little bit of sadness appeared in his eyes, the last thing he remembered was his organs exploding and releasing the energy that saved the world, then a timeless period of emptiness, then suddenly he appeared there between familiar faces. "Hoshi, my dear, I promise you that soon I will answer all your questions about me."

"Sure, feel free" She smiled warmly, she knows, that he was just a little soul, lost, now lost in space. And since he could not touch anything he would not harm anyone more than just a little scare, even if he got in his vampire mode.

Anyway Phlox haven't got enough data to help Spike come back or turn him corporeal, but did enough to do a system that would cage him if he became a problem. "Could you transform into that monster again, I would like to record it."

"Sure!" Spike replied demonstrating clearly his English accent, he quickly turned his face into vampire. Phlox and Hoshi were confused and curious, they gradually came closer to look, it was enough scary to do not get used to it rapidly.

Malcolm Reed entered into the sickbay, he saw Spike there, but the vampire wasn't facing the door, Malcolm this time equipped with his phaser, drawn the weapon. "Doctor Phlox what is happening here?"

Spike got surprised and looked back still with his vamp face, Reed reacted very terrified, he fell back hitting and breaking the glass over the sickbay door and firing his phaser in the ceiling.

"What a f...?" Spike ducked as a defense reflex and turned his face to normal.

"Malcolm!" Hoshi came to Reed, he was sat on the floor, hugging his knees, sweating cold, in catatonic condition.

"Spike, leave now, there's something on you that attack his sub conscience, now!" Phlox yelled, caring hard with the Malcolm's healthy, which seemed to be a very serious state.

The vampire walked ghostly through the sickbay doors, Hoshi followed him.

Sharon Gimpel, lieutenant serving at Enterprise since its first crew was formed, a sandy haired girl was doing the last round of the night checking at the equipment of the lower deck normally, when she stepped into a slop of water, she noticed that water was leaking from one of the bulkheads, she got surprised and tried to get a intercom. Suddenly a great portion of water entered the small room activating the safety systems as if was in the vacuum inducing the automatic procedure of sealing of the door, the only door in the room. "Oh my god!"

This time the flaw was detected at the bridge and soon informed as red alert, calling all officers.

_"Air leaking at the lower deck, please officer drive peacefully to the upper decks, inform your superior officer about a possible missing person."_ the intercom informed to everybody.

In about seven minutes, Trip came to the lower deck at the other side of the sealed door. "Luckily is just this small room, there is someone inside?"

"I can not be sure, sir, there is something wrong with the density, and our locating systems are offline." Garrison True, an assistant engineer was there before, told the actual situation to his chief.

"Dammit, what a day! Think Trip, Think!" He forced himself.

"Mr. Tucker! I may have someone to help with!" Hoshi appeared "Him! He can walk through walls" bringing Spike.

"Please do!" He accepted, asking himself how this was really real.

Spike passed trough the door and came back two seconds later "Yes, there is a girl inside, and there's no air liking, this is totally full of water, you have to do something."

"I cannot revert the seal easily, even let the water enter into here, get a scuba..." Trip argued, Garrison nodded, and they really haven't any idea how rescue her.

"Listen well, mister engineer, I have an idea, but it will damage on of your systems!" Spike came closer to Trips face, if he could touch things, he would grab Tucker by his collar.

**(End of Act 2)**


	3. Act 3

**Why Me?**

**(Act 3)**

Trip, True and Spike where staring in front of  the transporter platform, where a beam of light transformed itself into tube of water containing a girl floating inside, when the beam of light effect ceased Trip jumped to grab the lady before she hit the ground, the liquid flowed down watering Trip completely, also turned wet the ankles of engineer True, Spike was hit by the water, but plainly haven't got affected due his ghostly condition.

At the time Doctor Phlox was arriving near of the Transporter corridor, he was surprised by a small torrent of the water coming in his direction, when he finally reached there noticed that all this section of the ship was covered by water and then he sighted Trip that was already trying to do a CPR in a wet girl. "Let me do it!" Phlox took the control of the rescuing.

Trip straightened "Thanks, great idea." and said it to Spike

"Just thank me if she wakes up!" Spike was playing a little modesty by his brilliant idea "When I saw her there inside, the water hasn't filled all the room yet, I think we managed to transport her out in less than five minutes, there is a good chance to revive her."

"And you were right, we will have to revive the transporter system as well, it was not water proofed." Trip declared.

"Saving a life may worth Commander!" Phlox ducked at the wet floor, turned to him smiling, the girl was already wake and gasping. "Nice job of you!"

Spike did a shy smile. Tucker happily wanted to tap his arm but his hand passed into the vamp-ghost.

"What is happening here?" The captain arrived, well, a little late.

"Captain, we got a water leak from the swimming pool and invading in a small room of the lower deck, Ensign Gimpel got locked inside." Trip described slowly, avoiding to perspire the fact he was still mad after the struggle he have with the Captain earlier.

"And what is this all about? You haven't done that!?" Archer inquired, watching all this wet mess and a crazy blinking and sparkling transporter console malfunction.

"It was our only choice, Captain." Trip expressed it clearly, he was unconformed with that dumb-formal question from the Captain "We saved her!"

"Hmm, well, god job through. I am going to sleep, you will have to check it this new problem out too, verify if the other still working safety systems were operational, almost another causality would be ..." Archer shacked his head disapproving and implicitly accusing Trip of disqualification, turned his back and went out.

Trip waited until Archer turned the hallway's corner to unburden "What is wrong with this guy?" he said to Spike, the vampire was behind a console and kept unseen by the Captain.

"Hey do you have a pool inside the Enterprise?" Spike was amazed "Cool man, I've never seen it!"

Trip manifested a shhh sign, pointed to engineer True and murmured to Spike "This was a private pool, just high officers had access to it, please don't spread this secret."

"Don't you have a pool table in the ship, this is a shame!" Spike yelled, definitely lying aloud, and blinked to Trip, the vampire pointed at Trip's chest and said "You owe me one, forget it, you owe me two!" now pointing that the rescuing idea has came from him, then just smiled.

Archer wanted to go to his room, the first turbolift that he found was the number four, where early at that afternoon the deathly accident with soldier Watson happened, the elevator was sealed a similar gear that they used to lock Cook Daniel's room, so the Captain had to get a long turn to find another turbolift, he went into shadowy corridors that used to be quarters but then were abandoned since 20% of crew departed before entering into the Expanse Mission.

When he was crossing a junction of corridors, he noticed a movement, it could be an intruder or those damned Suliban again, he had to check. He went to a console and turned some lights on, he tried to ask for a sensor run over that section, but the intercoms of this section were disabled. "Halt there, here is the Captain." Walking slowly through the corners he finally impounded a beautiful girl at a dead end corridor. 

She had a bright long blond hair winding from his head and a cute fringe, she was wearing civilian clothes, too civilian through, it was a Hawaiian flowered shirt, a black jeans bermuda and sandals, her young freckles face appeared to be a recent former teenager.

"Drop your weapon!" Archer ordered spotting that she was hiding her hand.

She sluggish showed what she was carrying, just a piece of bread.

"Who are you?"

"I'm A..." 

Someone quickly knocked down Archer, hitting him with a hard object in the back of his neck. 

Doctor Phlox entered in the sickbay, Malcolm was there getting restored from his catatonic attack. "Hey, you seem very better!"

"Yes, I feel better." Malcolm answered "Doctor, do you have expertise in psychiatry?"

"Sure, Lieutenant, do you want to talk?" he displayed that stretched Denobulan smile and sat besides him.

"Vampires, sir, I have a primal fear of vampires, there was a legend that my older cousins used to tell me when I was a small kid there scared a lot, I grew up but something here inside still fears them. Was this man real?" He still wasn't believing in his own eyes have seen earlier.

"Mr. Reed, I still don't know what this man is, even if he is real, but I hardly think he is going to leave the ship any sooner. He had already helped in a rescuing mission."

"Really?" Malcolm was confused.

"Yes, a girl was rescued from water tank, she is alright now, and I put her to sleep in her quarters."

"Doctor, do you have any medicine that could help me with this reactions?"

"Let me see!" Phlox opened one of his storage systems, he took two tubes, one red and one blue, he looked both showing a dubious face. He came back with a futuristic syringe and planted it on Malcolm's arm. "It should work!"

"What is it?"

"It is a Denobulan adrenalin stopper, when your brain reacts to the image that trigger you fear, it would swap adrenalin to an innocuous substance. Do you want to try now?" The alien asked.

"Yes, how?"

"I have some images of him here, I recorded it earlier." Phlox took a portable camera and tried to find some images of Spike.

Malcolm went to look the screen from over the doctor's shoulder. When the image of the vampire appeared on the screen, Malcolm simply collapsed, fainted totally on the ground.

"Damn!" The doctor vowed to himself. "Finally I find the substance that I should gave to Mr. Tucker, the sleeping triggered formula! Damn!"

Spike entered in Hoshi's room, he would knock if he could "Excuse..." He noticed that she was already sleeping "Sorry pet!" he murmured, she was still wearing uniform, she probably has fallen asleep. Spike also noticed that something would have changed in his state, he was entering into her room without getting invited, disobeying an ancient vampire rule, or he was different now or this rule won't apply in space, anyway he was intrigued. Spike would not stay all night haunting Hoshi's dreams.

He went to the cafeteria room, where was completely empty and dark, he sat over a table, one that he could sigh the stars. Well, his life have changed a lot, he felt like he was really centuries away from the ones that he loved "Well Buffy and Dawn, the other ones were cool, but I don't love them!" he whispered to himself. Whatever fate reserved to him, bringing him to this universe, he would take it! He was glad that he helped to save someone's life, his existence there was not already in vain. But he was lonely.

He stayed there all night long, thinking, meditating about life and death. He just noticed that it was morning already, when ensign Mayweather entered there to have a pre-breakfast meal.

Spike left by the door quiet, where Mayweather was standing immobile marveling about that strange man that was not wearing uniform, they glanced at each other without say a word.

Hoshi scheduled a meeting with all big officers, 10 AM at the cafeteria, with main subject of discussing the safety malfunctions that happened, they came punctually. The group found out that Captain had a forced sleeping at one corridor's floor after being attacked by night, he came holding his crick that was a literally a pain in the neck. Malcolm was pretty lucid, he has never slept so well in his life. TPol was static as ever, just wearing a new light green catsuit that no one has seen before (Did she renewed his wardrobe when the Enterprise went back to Earth?). Trip was a pile of nerves, he did not sleep at all, he got already addicted to TPol's massages, and she spent the night analyzing the turbolift where the accident occurred. Phlox was well, but Hoshi noticed that he was a little more electric than normal.

With the main group united, Hoshi had to confess the real meaning of that meeting: Spike's collective interview.

"Captain, may I start?" The communication officer asked, apprehensive that the crew would not react well to Spike.

"Please Hoshi" Archer replied.

She stood up "We have to ..." and waited for the vampire's entrance. 

Spike passed through the door waving his hand "Guess what, I'm still here!" Ironically, but not necessarily smiling.

When Malcolm spotted Spike, he immediately fainted, falling out from his chair, hitting hard the floor.

Phlox managed to help laying Malcolm back to his chair, "Captain, Mr. Reed is reacting to a treatment I'm implying, but because I was without my personal database, due that endless maintenance..." he did a frozen glance to Trip expressing dissatisfaction "...so I prepared a mistaken formula, instead of release a harmless substance, I replaced with a sleeping inductor. So when Mr. Reed sees what he most fears, vampires, he will got into deep sleep."

The Captain stood up, no words, just a what-a-heck face, what a mess was happening in his ship?

Trip, even restless and acting zombie-like, noticed that the doctor had a sleeping inductor substance that seemed to work perfectly and the he haven't got one of this yet, he nervously walked to Phlox spot to ask for explanations "Why the hell is he is sleeping and I am not!?" pointing and yelling.

"It is your own fault! These computers databases never worked!" Phlox got face to face with Trip "Sometimes I got surprised that this ship hasn't exploded itself yet!"

Trip's blood boiled up "Oh yes, if a least you played more medicine instead of being witchdoctor with your bloodsucking worms, it would help!" The situation was really hot now.

"Hey, pay attention at me! This is my scene now!" Spike tried to rob the focus gesturing awkwardly, but all officers went to part out the struggle, so no one looked to the vampire.

"You two stay quiet! Stopping acting like children, sit down now!" Archer finally intervene almost as furious as the yellers, they sat one at opposite side of the room just displaying killer looks to each other. Captain continued "We have lots of occurring crisis already, I will not tolerate any other fight like this! We are dealing here with the probably the most important mission of the history, trying to save the humankind, and what do you have in your minds?" he was displaying a disappointed and mad face, Spike was behind him nodding sarcastically. Archer turned to him "And who are you!?" When Spike started answering, Captain interrupted "Don't answer!" turning back to the officers again "Who of you are going to explain me why I am the last to know that he was still here?"

Hoshi, Trip and Phlox dodged their eyesight away from Captain's. TPol replied: "I didn't sir!". Malcolm snored higher.

"I just can't believe in this crew!" Archer exhaled deeply, holding putting his hands in his hips.

"Don't be mad at them, Johnny Boy, I asked them to keep the secret for a while." Spike entered in front of the Captain.

"What are you doing here? And why don't you leave?" Archer won't let his guard down.

"I'm part of your crew now, Cap, liking or not!" 

The vampire's reply informed Archer about what he already knew "We are damned!"

"I am going to be a loyal soldier, I will try to help things around, well at least mentally, since I can not..." He showed that he could not touch anything, instead of saying. "I can bogus with those bloody Klingons for you!"

"There are no Klingons, here at the Expanse." TPol informed him.

"Wow, well, surely some ugly alien will be knocking out our door, sooner or later."

"We got the... still uncountable... number of variety species of Xindi." The Vulcan completed.

"See, I wasn't wrong." He pointed out happily "Now that the heat of the discussion has over, sit down Captain, I have a little tale to tell you all." 

Archer obeyed, Spike sat over the center table, and started a lecture:

"I will try to be succinct enough. Long time ago, I used to be called William, I was a poet, at the nineteen century, a bloody good writer through. I was turned a vampire by my first real love, Drusilla, even being a soulless creature of the night, a damn good one too, killing thousands of people from England to California for a hundred of years, getting number two on the ranking of the vampires, loosing only to Peaches (Angel), but I killed two slayers that should get me extra points, but unfairly they never those girls." He paused "Hmm, strangely I still got emotions that always took me out from a regular demonic life, first my love to Dru, then when she was gone I started to love my main mortal enemy, the actual vampire slayer, Buffy Summers, happened a lot of cool stuff, blah, blah, blah. For love again, I did the unthinkable, I found a way to get my soul back, I still was a vampire but I have conscience, from that time on I will not kill just for pleasure. More stuff happened, at the end when I and the slayer were getting together, the world was going to end, and I had the marvelous idea of playing the hero of the season and died saving the world." He got impressed with himself "This was a damn good summary! Now, I was wearing that amulet, the one that you found on the space, somehow I got connected to it, forever, I probably became a shadow of my existence."

"Too Sci-Fi, even for space explorers" Trip judged "But why would you lie?"

"He could be a hologram, send by the Xindi, to spy us!" TPol said a logic explanation.

"Your Captain here is who already worked with holograms, don't you? But you will not remember, never mind!" He could not avoid at least one quantum-leap joke "Why would I help save that girl then?" Spike inquired.

Trip nodded positively "It is true Captain, was his idea to use the transporter to beam out the girl from the waterlogged room."

Phlox take a small device from his pocket and turned on, pointing to Spike, the object sent an electrical discharge that hit the vampire throwing him out of the room passing spectrally by the wall.

**(End of Act 3)**


	4. Act 4

**Why me**

**(Act 4)**

Hoshi stood up unconformed that Phlox had fired something in Spike "What have you done!?"****

"What was that!?" Spike came back quickly and displaying a reasonable anger.

"Captain, I developed a device that could interact with his frequency, we have a weapon in became something different from what he is telling us!"

"Are you okay Spike?" Hoshi asked.

"Yes, when you are dead, few things hurt too much. I'm Fine" He adjusted his clothes and turned to Phlox "You started my black list right now! What can you just trust a stranger?"

Archer watched quietly all this scene, but have to interfere "Spike, calm down and tell us how you know all of us too personally!"

"Fine, but I tell you first that are going to be still more unbelievable, because I do not know how it is possible." He didn't sit this time "Well, as vampire, I couldn't go taking walks during daylight till I wanted to keep myself something different from flaming torch, then I had to stay awake inside my crypt during all daylight, I had to do something in order to spent time, my best choice always was the Sci-Fi TV cable channel."

Everybody react confusedly, TPol asked "Why it has to do with us?"

"Guess! Your entire universe, your past and your future, your great detailed history, everything that exists here including you all and everyone you know, from where I came from, is nothing more than a TV series. I know everything about every one of is because I watched every bloody episode! This may seem futuristic to me, but is not the future, I think this is parallel universe!"

"It may seem strange, but there is a Vulcan theory that may collaborate with him." TPol interjected "A human theory is also similar, the Einsten-Kobalsky-Mallory bridge, says that there should exists as many realities as we imagine, and if a huge mass of people believe in this same television story, this universe should grow more dense." She paused a little to think in her conclusion: "In Spike's version, he was living in the edge of a probably end of his word, his universe was clearing ending at least for him, his amulet and his knowledge about us, should activated the bridge between the universes."

"TPol, your explanation is a way too good, but imaginative, why are you acting less skeptic than unusual." It was Captain Archer teasing the Vulcan again.

She cleared her throat, counted till one thousand (in Vulcan high-speed counting measure), bit her lips like a small sly children and answered calmly: "Captain, I simply fit his facts in very respectful scientific theories, sir!" 

"This is bullshit! I can't believe that I am not real!" Trip was outraged "Are you saying that we all are words on a script!?"

"It is what I think is true, this universe may have been inspired by something, but now I'm here, It is enough real." Spike claimed.

"Do you really know everything? Addicted to series, like a jerk?" Archer asked, he tried to find a better word than jerk, but he didn't.

"Yes, it is not something that I would be glad to admit, watching all those episodes would certainly qualify me as a brainless nerd, but I do know everything about you, try! Ask me whatever you want?" The vampire challenged.

"Who invented the warp drive?" Trip tried.

"Easy. Zefram Cochrane!"

"Who was the leader of the secret eugenic wars?" Hoshi's turn

"Khan Noonian Singh!"

"What is our highest speed?" Trip again

"Warp 5"

"What is the name of the farm the Klingons and Sulibans attacked three years ago?" Archer's question.

"Broken Bow"

"The name of the hidden Vulcan sanctuary destroyed two years ago?" TPol asked too.

"P'Jem, or something like that?"

After lots of correct answered questions, Phlox asked one that Spike couldn't right: "Are we going to survive the Expanse mission?"

"I don't know much about the expanse." The vampire noticed that they finally hit his flaw.

"You said that you know also about our future!" Archer imposed.

"He is lying." Trip instituted.

"Wait, I can explain, the happenings dealing with the NX01 Enterprise are the actual series, this series that is the fifth one, occurs 100 years before the time from the first series." He tried to seem totally certain about what he was declaring, he was a huge fan of all the series, knew a lot of stuff, but he had his gaps. "Some weeks before I died the electric power was cut off from the city, I could not watch the last ones."

A silence floated, everyone looked to each other, except Malcolm, off course. Then Arched stated "Ok then, we have a lot to think, and we have a lot to discuss too, anyway lets do a pause for lunch." Everybody smiled, he continued "Trip, you bring Malcolm, you two are going to lunch with me, the rest is dismissed." Hoshi noticed a jealous quick reaction from TPol because she wasn't invited for the Captain's lunch today.

When Archer was leaving, Spike intercepted him at the hallway "Hey Jonathan, I would like to inform you, that I am glad to be in this ship, I will collaborate, I won't be a stone on your shoe, but I'm not going to follow your orders if I don't want to!" He finished his speech and left entering into a bulkhead, leaving a discontent captain behind.

Archer, Trip and Malcolm, instead of going lunch, they went to the shadowy section where the Captain was attacked and where he supposedly have sighed that girl wearing Hawaiian shirt. Malcolm was already wake and well (except for a small bruise in his face caused by his recent fall after his last instant-sleeping attack) was holding a big phaser pistol. Trip was searching life forms with his tricorder, they entered in this deck that was all lighted now.

"Captain." Deep eyed Trip said "I adjusted the tricorder to catch similar life forms like this fellow Spike."

"Good idea Trip, but I think the girl I saw was classic flesh-and-bones form." Archer responded.

"Why are you affirming it sir? Because if they were like Spike I may be not able to fire at them with this weapon." Malcolm asked.

"She was stealing bread, at least she was more *alive* than a vampire. And the bump I received was solid enough." Captain gave good reasons. "Trip, is there a way to stay in the ship and keep himself out from sensors?"

"Off course there is, sir, but we don't know about how it would work, if we did, we would surely develop something to hack it." Trip was totally sincere, but it was not what Archer wanted to hear, neither being said this way.

Malcolm entered into a corridor and sooner called "Mr. Tucker please come here." Trip followed him. "See this marks on the bulkhead, they seem like scratches."

"Yes, like if it was removed several times." He agreed and yelled "Captain! You probably would like to check something here!" A minute passed and Archer didn't come... "Captain!!" then the officers glanced at each other.

They ran for the corridors and do not find the Captain, "Where is the Captain?" Trip went to a console and communicated "Tucker to the bridge!"

_"Bridge here"_

"Who are you?"__

_"Ensign Michael Zaslow" [clear throat] "sir!"_

"Who is there?"

_"Just me and I'm with the cleaning team, I think it is lunch time, sir."_

"Do you know how to run a life form sensor?"

_"Hmm, hmm, no sir, I am a vacuum cleaner operator. But I would like to try!"_

"No! Don't touch anything, I am going there! Tucker out" He made a _go _movement with his head to Malcolm and they got the turbolift.

_"Bye Sir!"_

"Do you know what I miss most? My red shirt! It always was part of my main badass style, how could I left home that day, to be a major part of the end of the world without my favorite shirt?" Spike was cursing his last acts, Hoshi demonstrate empathy for him showing a little smile, she also thought that she liked the way he talked, sometimes using ancient English slangs, he was an undeniable interest for one lover of linguistics like her. They were at the same cafeteria, some minutes later, Hoshi and TPol were having their lunch, Spike was accompanying them.

"Do you know about Vulcan culture?" TPol, serious as ever, asked.

"Yes, a bit." Rapidly he understood what point she wanted to reach with his conversation, so he easily broke up her next line: "Enough to know about your most favorite ritual. That one linked to the number seven!"

TPol was drinking his Vulcan hot tea, when she got his tease, she almost got choked, the apricot-colored liquid leaked from her lips very infamously (correctly double infamous effect because she was Vulcan). He was clearly referring about the Pon'Farr, the seven year interspaced ceremonial of sexual intercourse, when the most logical species go crazy for a while, it was their highest secret dogma of them.

Hoshi tried "What was that about!?"

"Never mind." Spike saved one explanation, just cross glanced between them.

"You know everything about us, tell more about yourself." Hoshi asked, TPol was still rubbing the result of her tea accident. 

He turned into an uneasy state "You know, Love. That is the problem, and that is why I'm here!" He tapped his pockets, searching for a non-present pack of cigarettes "I think when someone is really getting close of real love, something happens!"

"You are not human." Now restated, TPol implied.

"I was, well I am, half!" he raised his index finger and his eyebrow to impose his speech "A quarter human now, I am a ghost."

"Love is an emotion, it just detour our brain from our complete intellectual achievements." She had to express this Vulcan motto.

Spike thought that he always wanted to discuss it with Spock, he may have a chance now if he stays for long. "Eat your logic girl, you may have not noticed that the human goal is love, love for adventure, love for greed, and the love for searching the real love."

"I do not think this way."

"Sure you do, you may have built a wall in front of the feelings, but it was always deep there, pressing your logical brain." The vampire was almost upset, Hoshi liked the way he replied, the rest of the crew always thought the same way about Vulcans. Spike pacified next "No discussion now, gals, lunchtime is for de-stressing."

Hoshi tried a classic ice-breaking question "Do you like music and movies? We have a huge library here."

"Yes, I know about the movie nights you have here. Wait a minute, do you have the last two movies of the Matrix trilogy, I've missed because I left by May." He went enthusiast now.

"What is the matrix?" TPol asked.

"Trilogy? They were four!" Hoshi stated firmly turning paler the face of the vamp!

Trip and Malcolm were alone at the bridge, the cleaning team was already gone, they were running sensors to find where (the hell) the Captain went to, with no success Trip thought that occasionally Archer found the secret way of stay in the ship and still be out of life scans.

About one hour after, Trip was exhausted and sweating, he pressed all buttons on the bridge that would help in their searching crusade, he decided to put the ship in yellow alert, asked Malcolm to organize searching teams and intercommunicated requesting that all high officers should report to come to the bridge. "I did my best! Lets drop the problem at TPol's lap, she is paid for that!" Trip said and Malcolm nodded coherently, then he continued "God! I need a massage!"

This time Malcolm did not have time to express a odd reaction that he would certainly do, because he looked to the turbolift door and sighted Spike, going rightly into deep sleep again, this time he lied over his console, surely more comfortably than last time.

"Could you inform when you are coming? We could avoid that..." Trip asked Spike, showing some discontent sigh.

"I will try!"

Hoshi, TPol and Mayweather entered the room and took their respective seat, Trip and TPol were discussing nearby her console, meanwhile Spike was looking all those controls and stuff seemed seriously real, taking advance over everybody's full concentration, he couldn't restrain himself and sat at the Captain's chair. He's butt testified that the chair was more comfortable than it seemed to be on the TV, he remembered TPol's antic style of sitting over that chair. Then Spike started to whistle 'Faith from the heart' (aka Enterprise Theme) producing upset glances from everybody "Ok! I will be quiet!" he slightly approached TPol and Tucker "What is going on, what all this worry is about?"

"Captain Archer has completely vanished!" TPol affirmed. "This is the fourth  unusual event in two days, I checked a pattern, I have to tell you that every event happens in exact intervals of six hours after the time your were freed, You must be the cause!"

Spike moved his eyebrows indicating misunderstood and unconformism.

**(End of Act)**


End file.
